


Lovesick

by CatholicChika



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben and Rey have cats, Ben’s no virgin, But he’s definitely a virgin at love, Cuddling, Denial of Feelings, Dorks in Love, Drunken Flirting, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fake Dating, Fluff, Hopeless Romantic Rey, Jealousy, Love Coach Ben Solo, Making Out, Mutual Pining, Practice Kissing, Rey and Rose are besties, Size Difference, Soulmates, Tension, at least at first, eventually, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:34:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22075561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatholicChika/pseuds/CatholicChika
Summary: Hopeless in her attempts at finding lasting love, Rey finds herself seeking advice from a love/dating coach, who’s tasked to help her find romance and cure her of all her “unappealing” habits.But what happens when said coach falls madly in love with his own client?
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 7
Kudos: 65





	1. And So It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> so this is it, this is finally the big reylo fic I have always wanted to work on. 
> 
> i’m planning to make this fic sort of my new year’s resolution to complete, because I really, really enjoy the plot I came up with for this one, and I don’t plan on letting it go to waste. 
> 
> i’ve always enjoyed the idea of a not so brooding ben and a clueless rey, with all their playful and cute banter and such, so I decided to bring that concept to life in this fic. 
> 
> if you decide to read all the way through this first chapter, thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate any type of support I get on my fics, especially since I put a lot of hard work into them. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy where i’m able to take this story in the future, but for now, happy reading! ♡

Rey groans with frustration at the weight of the books in her hands. She almost wants to drop them all in the middle of nowhere, but she knows even she’s not idiotic enough to just do that. 

She wonders why she’s bought so many of these certain kinds of books - books about love. _She knows they’re all lies_ , anyway. 

When Rey was younger, her aunt would watch movies like Pride and Prejudice, Grease, Notting Hill, Casablanca, etc. with her. Movies that made her dream of her own fairytale romance. It planted the thoughts in her head of wanting to be loved, to be held, all that mushy, sappy love stuff that one can expect. Movies like the ones she’d watched, _and still admittedly watches_ , made her fantasise about love a little too much for her own liking. 

So much so that they made her think it was so easy to find it in a person.

_Unfortunately_ , she was very wrong.

She recalls her first date, if you can even call it that. It was in high school, and she still remembers the way she giddily perked up in her 3 inch heels, braces and sparkly dress, terribly excited for what she wasn’t aware of was going to turn into a disastrous night. 

She was asked out to prom by a guy she’d been interested in and had dreamed of since grade school, thinking it was by his own choice for whatever reason. It had gone great at first, they’d arrived to the prom together hand-in-hand, he _was_ a gentleman. Full emphasis on was. And it sent a thrill through her that she’d never experienced beforehand. 

Until she decided that it was a good idea to start spurting out the lyrics to “Hopelessly Devoted To You” while they were on the dance floor. 

At the time, she thought it was romantic and cute. But apparently the poor guy just couldn’t stand the pure excitement of it all, and pulled her off the dance floor to admit to her that the only reason he asked her out was for a bet. 

_ She doesn’t think she’ll forget that rancid night for the rest of her days. _

She has to admit though, Grease and that song is still pretty damn good. 

Rey sighs, pocketing her keys from her bodybag with these darn heavy books still in her clutches. _How much advice about love do people need to give to be able to fill pages after pages with information about it?_ She can’t really complain about it anyway, she of all people needs as much advice as she can get. 

When she manages to finally get her keys, she nearly drops all her books which causes her to curse at herself with frustration. She wants to ask herself why she’s like this, but decides she should blame all the female leads in romantic comedies for shaping her up in their clumsy, clueless ways. 

Upon entering her humble household, she’s immediately greeted by her Siamese cat named Peppermint, who nuzzles herself up near Rey’s foot. She adores the little thing so much. She picks her up from the floor, trying her best not to laugh, but she can’t help the giggle that leaves her when her cat yawns. She may not have someone to love and hold her yet, but at least she has Peppermint to love and hold. 

She sets her cat back down on the floor, but near her couch this time, along with her goddamned heavy books on her table. She crashes down into her couch, before grabbing one of said books from her table. The book she picks up is called “What to do with Love” Quite self-explanatory to say the least, but she’ll take what she can get at this point. 

She reads a couple of lines from it, then lets out a fake barf noise in regret. _Why did she decide to buy this book?_ One of the very first sentences from it is literally “Don’t be afraid to leave said person you’re into on read”, which is one of the things she hates doing. She hates making people feel unwanted, even if it’s in a simple way. 

She closes the book, sets it down with a loud thud, then grabs another book from the pile. This one’s titled “How to Make Him Want You” which sounds... _exciting_ , to say the least. In the beginning it’s good, she finds the first set of advice given quite helpful, but she all too soon realises how wrong her judgement was, when her eyes graze upon a line from it that goes, “Making a dating profile based exclusively on how you want to come across is advised”. She thinks that’s _absolute_ crap. 

She throws the book aside, not caring all too much if she’s damaged it a bit, because she thinks that’s one of the worst pieces of advice she’s ever seen. You need to be yourself when meeting someone, or else your relationship will fall apart in the future. Even someone as clueless as her knows that. Plus the book she threw is hardcopy anyway. _God, she really has spent too much money on these books._

She nearly rolls her eyes reading that line, wanting to wash away the terrible taste in her mouth she suddenly feels is magically there by reading another book. She grabs one from the pile called “To Treat a Lovesick Heart”.

She thinks, _hopefully this one’s better than the last two._

Ironically enough, _it is_. 

The first few sentences of the book has her absolutely hooked. So much so to the pointshe can’t stop herself from reading further, can’t stop the way she involuntarily bites her lip from time to time due to how interesting she finds it, can’t stop the way her eyes so intently scan each and every little word and phrase. She’s never seen such a different and unobscured view of love and relationships from anyone else before. She feels like the person who’s written this book is speaking to her directly through its tremendously breathtaking words. 

To think she thought buying these books was a mistake. 

She continues to read said book, only stopping briefly to make herself a cup of coffee, before treading on her adventure of being swayed by a stranger’s words again. She doesn’t think she’s ever been moved so much in her life. 

When she’s finally done reading, she’s shocked that she’s managed to finish the entire book in just the span of a few hours. Shechecks her watch, not even realising time has gone by so fast, because she was too entrapped in the writer’s way with his words.

She thinks, _this man must have been in love countless times to be able to come up with all of what she’s read._ Must’ve been in love a lot more than she has. 

Suddenly she becomes curious as to if this writer has any other works, so she grabs her laptop and looks him up. 

His name is Ben Solo. He’s 29, a dating coach, and _goddamn_ is he attractive. 

Other than taking notice of his obviously gorgeous face, she also pays close attention to the whole dating coach bit. She could really use one of those, knowing how bad at love she really is. She decides to give him a call. 

No one answers at first. 

In her mind, she begs: _pick up, pick up, pick up please_ , so I don’t regret calling only to feel embarrassment. 

Suddenly, _he picks up_. 

“ _Hello_ , who’s calling?” Rey hears a deep, raspy voice at the end of the line, causing her to almost gulp at the sensation of actually hearing him full on. With words as beautiful as his, it’s not a shock to her that even his voice holds the same kind of value. 

“Uhh, hey. I read something on your site about you being a love coach and all, and right now I really need one.” She explains to the obviously confused man, and he lets out a small chuckle. 

“Ah, right. My apologies. If you want to schedule a meeting, I can gladly have something set up.” She sighs in relief, at least he sounds like a relaxed guy. 

“Sure, I can definitely meet up soon. Where do I need to go to meet you, though?” 

“In New York, 12th avenue, the b—“ Ben is interrupted mid-sentence by the sound of Peppermint meowing, as she attempts to claw her way into Rey’s couch. “Bad kitty, no scratching the couch.” Rey scolds her cat with a monotone manner of voice, as if she’s already used to her pet’s wacky shenanigans. She gently grabs her and sets her on her lap. “Sorry, that was my cat.” She chuckles nervously, afraid she might’ve pissed Ben off.

To her surprise though, he simply chuckles as well, almost understandingly. “Oh don’t worry, I have a cat too. He’s quite a brat, that one.” He admits, and she now gets why he’s alright with it.

“What’s your cat’s name?” She finds herself asking for whatever reason, almost wanting to retract her question. _Why is she straying away from what she originally meant to call him about?_ But to her surprise yet again, he simply answers her. 

“His name is Caramel, what about yours?” 

Caramel. She smiles at the thought of how their cats’ names seem to be matching a bit. 

“Mine’s name is Peppermint. I named her after, _well_ , one of my favourite flavours.” Somehow she can hear him smiling when she says this. 

“I named mine after, _well_ , one of mine too. Although I have to admit, Rocky Road is a close second.” 

“Oh, no way! I love Rocky Road.” 

“Really?” Now she can really hear him smiling, and it makes her chest feel some kind of warmth. “You’ve got taste then. I’m surprised you even need a dating coach.” He says jokingly, but it causes her to become a bit flustered. 

“Oh right, how rude of me. I forgot to ask what your name is, miss-?”

“Rey. My name’s Rey.” She says abruptly, almost wanting to facepalm for how harsh she most likely sounds while saying it. Once again though, he doesn’t seem to be mad about it. 

“Well, miss Rey _what_ exactly?” He humours her, making her giggle ever so slightly. “Rey Niima, but obviously you can just call me Rey.” 

“Well, if you’re more comfortable with that, _Rey_. Then i’ll gladly be doing so.” 

There’s comfortable silence between them for a moment. The kind that Rey doesn’t think she’s ever experienced before.

Sure, she’s had plenty of calls taken in her lifetime where both her and another person have gone silent. But they certainly weren’t comfortable silences, especially compared to this. 

“ _Anyway_ , Rey. Tell me about your situation a bit.” He says after a while, and she can hear a trace of curiosity in his voice. Almost like a young boy wondering what his parents have gotten him for Christmas. 

“To start off, i’m just really bad with love.” She explains, “When I was young, I was enforced this idea that “true love” would be handed to me on a silver platter. That i’d eventually meet my “prince charming”. But growing up, I realised how wrong I was. I haven’t been able to keep a _single_ relationship intact, and I don’t know why that is.” 

“I see,” Ben taps his chin, then rests his elbow on his desk, intent on hearing everything Rey has to say. “How long did your most prolonged relationship last?” 

“Uh, about two months or so. _Maybe_ three. I don’t really try to keep count anymore.” 

“You’d be surprised, Rey.” He snickers lightheartedly in what she assumes is an attempt to lighten the mood. “Your relationship has lasted _a lot_ longer than majority of my other clients’ relationships have.” 

“Is that so?” She chuckles, sinking herself further into the comforts of her couch as she’s talking to him, failing to realise they’ve been calling for about an hour now, despite how she only intended to set up a meeting with him. 

“Yes, indeed it is. I want to help you, Rey.” He says matter-of-factly. “I know I can help you with this problem of yours, if you trust me.” 

She smiles, taking comfort in his words. “I... I trust you.” She knows it’s a bit odd telling a stranger you trust them, but he was bold enough to ask her if she trusts him, and that’s more than enough reason for her to reciprocate. And anyway, she _does_ feel safe right now - talking to him and all. 

“Good, i’m looking forward to meeting you.” She can hear him smiling again. “I forgot to finish my sentence a while ago, but you can come see me at 12th avenue. The really big, brown building. You should know when you see it.”

“I’m sure I will.” She laughs, not failing to take notice of the small blush forming on her own cheeks. She wonders if he’s feeling as embarrassed as she is, but she knows he’s most likely not. 

“I can meet on Friday, if you’re alright with that? 10 o’clock?” 

“ _Count me in_. I don’t have work that day, so I should be good.” 

“Great,” Ben knows he should be writing all of what she’s saying down on a paper, but for some reason, he thinks he’ll remember everything regardless. “count this as an official session then.” 

Rey sits up on her couch, her cat still nuzzled on her lap as she slowly pets her. “It was nice meeting you, Ben.” She says quietly, and Ben laughs. 

“Is your cat sleeping?” 

“Perhaps.” 

“So is mine.” He admits, and Rey can’t stop herself from laughing as well.

“Be sure to take good care of him, then. They tend to get really grumpy when they first wake up from naps, as you may _already_ know.”

“Oh i’m _well_ aware. A little too much, even.” He smiles, then rests his lips on his own knuckle. _Who knew he’d have so much fun talking to someone who was only originally meant to ask him for a session?_ He supposes life has a way of surprising people like that. 

“Well, I guess this is it for now.”

“ _Perhaps_.” 

“I’ll see you soon, Ben.” Just before she’s about to hang up, she decides to do something a little more daring than what she normally does. “Oh and I almost forgot to say - your book is _really_ damn amazing.” 

Rey immediately turns her phone off right after she compliments him, unable to stop herself from smiling, and little does she know that Ben can’t stop himself as well. 

When she hangs up, he almost feels his heart racing - pulsing at a speed that even he, a dating coach, didn’t know was possible. _This girl is really something_ , he thinks. And both of them already cannot wait for their first session. 


	2. Lesson One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s finally the day that Rey has her first session with her love coach. Although she has to admit, his lessons are something she was not as prepared for as she thought.

Rey runs through the busy streets of Manhattan, breathing in the atmosphere of her surroundings. Manhattan in Summer is beautiful. She enjoys the way the warmth of the sun strokes every inch of her face, making her bundle herself up further in her slightly oversized coat, longing for the cozy feel of it all. To top it off she was able to get coffee today, so she’d say she’s all set for success. 

A couple of days ago she scheduled a session with a dating coach. Which is something she didn’t expect she’d be desperate enough to do, but at the same time, she doesn’t regret it. The man’s nice, or at least their call proved him to be. _Plus_ he has a cat, which is always a pleasant bonus. 

She waits at a stoplight, watches how people walk passed her all busy on their phones, occupied with either work or personal relationships. Quite unfortunately, she only has the latter. But that’s exactly why she’s coming to speak to the dating coach anyway. Part of her doesn’t want to raise her expectations too high, but one of these days, she better walk out of Ben’s office not single. 

When the stoplight turns to green, she instantly starts running again, apologising to people left and right that she may have accidentally stumbled into a bit. She curses at her clumsiness, but takes pride in how she hasn’t spilled her coffee on anyone. _Yet_.

She nearly trips when she arrives in front of the building that Ben talked about on their call, or at least she thinks this is the building. She assumes it is since it’s the biggest building on the block - and it’s brown. She walks up to the entrance of it, taking in the length of the structure for a brief moment. _Man_ , it really is big. 

Upon entering through the automatic doors, she is immediately greeted by the sight of gloomy business men and women snickering at each other through their work files that most of them are carrying, some of them actually arguing with each other. She’s surprised at how a dating coach can manage to work in a place like this, because she’s almost immediately appalled at the atmosphere of it. 

Spotting the information counter, she nervously walks up to it, the lady at the counter already clearly ready to groan when she sees her. “Excuse me, sorry to interrupt-“ Rey stops herself mid-sentence when she peeks over and gains an all too clear view of what the lady’s watching. _Is that... is that porn?_ She feels heat creep up to her neck and shoulders, deciding that maybe this is the right moment to get out of here. “whatever it is you’re doing. Can you please tell me where Ben Solo’s office is?” 

The lady looks up at her as she blows her bubblegum, the loud pop noise shocking Rey for a moment. Tone of voice indicating she’s clearly irked, the lady asks, “ _You got an appointment_?” 

Rey raises her eyebrow at how the lady pulls the gum out of her mouth slowly, only to stick it under her desk. “Uh, yeah.” God, that is _gross_ , and there’s a bin right under her desk too. It’s like she’s witnessing a high school flashback. 

“Last name?” 

“Niima.” Right when she answers, the lady checks her computer for if she’s scheduled. Rey thinks she might just want to get rid of her as much as Rey wants to leave. 

“Alright, go to the 5th floor, room 537, he should be in there.” 

“Thanks.” Rey starts walking away, then looks back at the lady for a brief moment. “I’ll leave you to your... _own devices_ then.” She makes a speed run for the elevator, almost bumping into people again, but she tries her very best not to. She takes a sip of her coffee and lets out a loud cough, somehow amidst all that awkwardness, she forgets her coffee is still hot. Finally the elevator stops at her desired floor, and she looks for Ben’s office. 

She has to admit, she finds the whole maroon and bronze theme of the place quite pleasing to the eyes. Almost homey, even. Despite how displeased everyone working here seems to be. She knocks on Ben’s door, shocked when she gets an instance response to her action by Ben suddenly pulling her into the room and locking his door, causing her to drop her coffee on the floor. 

“Ben, are you alri-“

Ben gently shushes her and whispers, “It’s my boss, he’s having a raging fit against me and he’s roaming the halls right now...”

“Because of _what_?” Rey giggles quietly, earning her another playful shush from him. 

“ _Shhh_. You don’t want me to die before our first session’s even started, do you?”

“No, sir. I would hate that.” She smiles, amused at this display of entertainment Ben’s currently showing her. “We have to hide, is that alright with you?” Ben’s looking at her now, almost smirking as he awaits her response. 

“Hmm, _perhaps_.” 

“Good, then follow me.” He reaches his hand out for her to take—for some reason, she almost instantly takes it. Her hand feels really small compared to his, almost feels like a bear’s paw is on hers, and she’s well aware she’s trying to fool herself if she says she doesn’t soften a tad bit because of it. It’s a complete surprise to her when he pulls her into his office’s closet, his hand now on her chin. She wonders how things escalated this fast. 

Ben stares into her eyes, then stares at her neck and shoulders, as if he’s taking in every little inch of her skin. She flusters, nearly backing herself up into a corner. “Ben...” He slowly walks closer to her, his shoes making loud tapping noises against the ground. _Oh god, is this really it? Are they really going to kiss?_ A thousand thoughts buzz through Rey’s mind, it’s like her life is flashing before her very eyes. It’s not her fault she thinks Ben is incredibly attractive, it’s not her fault the way he looks at her makes her stomach churn with sensation, and it’s certainly not her fault that she thinks the way her hand feels within his is pleasant. 

The manner of how he assertively grabs her by her shoulders is enough to kill her - absolutely _burn_ her to her core - and if she were to die right now, that would be absolutely fine by her. 

He leans in closer and closer to her, almost dangerously close. His lips nearly meet the tip of her ear as he whispers, “And _that_ , Rey, is your very first lesson.” 

_ Rey does not know what to say. _

She’s a mix of completely stunned, a bit irritated, a little- no, _really_ confused, and absolutely astonished at herself for thinking he’d actually just kiss her right off the bat. “Never just say yes. You deserve better than that.” Her mouth feels dry, but she can hear the amount of concern in Ben’s voice, and because of that, it’s difficult for her to stay mad at him. 

After composing themselves, Ben opens the closet door for her, gesturing with his hands for her to exit before him. “After you.” She remains confusedly looking up at him as they leave the closet, and he clears his throat. “I’m sorry for confusing you, Rey. I wanted to test how you would respond when confronted with a situation like that, so I know how to advice you.”

They’re both silent for a while, until she nods her head in what he sincerely hopes is understanding. “ _I mean_ , I can’t really blame you. I deserve that for giving in so easily. I have a lot to learn.” She chuckles lightheartedly, and Ben smiles in great relief at how she may just not hate him. His other clients have reacted far differently than she has to this test. 

“That’s exactly why you came to me, hm? So I can help you with this. Mark my words that by the end of our sessions, I _will_ find you love that lasts.” 

“Thank you, Ben.” 

Suddenly there’s this comfortable silence again, she wonders why that keeps happening between them. “Of course, now how about we start the actual session?” 

She laughs, her hand making its way to her own arm as she says, “I would like that a lot.” 

<>

While seated in front of each other, Ben can’t help but notice the way Rey taps her own lap a lot, in a continuous motion, full of premonition, almost as if she’s longing or waiting for something. He’s always had a gift of being too observant - he finds it both a curse and a blessing. 

“Rey, are you alright?”

She looks up at him, blinking for a moment, his voice snapping her out of her train of thought. “Oh yeah, i’m fine. What made you think i’m not?” 

“I just thought I might’ve shocked you a little too hard a while ago.” 

“ _Tsk_ , you really think I haven’t been in that kind of situation multiple times? I have to warn you, Ben. I am _quite_ the heartbreaker.” She snickers, despite knowing what she says isn’t true. It’s always her who gets her heart broken, but she doesn’t feel like being a total worrywart right now. 

He chuckles in amusement, his voice somehow growing deeper as he casually says, “I bet you are. And I have to say, how awfully _naughty_ of you.” 

She pauses for a moment, realising that he’s _definitely_ flirting with her now, and like hell is she about to let him have the upper ground. She knows this is the second lesson, so she has to make whatever she says good. “You’re not so innocent yourself, Mister Solo. Wanting to tease me about this despite how you’ve most likely had dozens of lovers only proves that.” She says forwardly, the way she teasingly bites her lip sends a sort of thrill down his spine. 

Ben knows he’s never had a single lover in his life. Not one he’s actually loved, at least. Sure, he’s had a lot of sex. _A lot_ of sex, but it obviously isn’t the same thing as love. _How would that make him look?_ Admitting that he, a dating coach, has never been in love in his life? Quite a terrible look, no shit. He doesn’t want to embarrass himself to Rey, especially not after she’s taken the time to even read his book about love advice. 

_So just like her_ , he pretends. 

“ _Perhaps_. But looking at you now, they seem to rather pale in comparison. You’re truly quite the apple to one’s eye, Miss Niima.” He isn’t able to stop the words from escaping his mouth, but he doesn’t regret it when he hears a small gasp being elicited from Rey. He knows he’s definitely set something off within her now. 

“And you’re _not so bad_ yourself, Solo.” He grins at the way Rey subtly drops the honorific she was formerly using for him. He knows he has to teach her a lot of things about love, but in terms of flirting, he’d say she’s all set. 

“You’re not a bad flirt, Rey. I’ll give you that.” 

“Why thank you, I take pleasure in knowing I am not bad at absolutely everything.” She says smugly, giving him a playful curtsy, even though she appreciates his words. 

“So, how was it like trying to get up here?” 

Rey nearly wants to roll her eyes. Trying to get up to Ben’s office was an absolute nightmare, but after practically being pulled into a closet by him and almost pretend kissed by him, she feels she can be honest with him about it.

“ _Okay to sum it up_ , i’m pretty sure the lady at the information counter was watching porn.” 

Ben bursts into laughter almost instantly, and it’s laughter so contagious, she soon starts cackling as well. “Oh god... _god_ , that’s good.” He says through almost teary eyes, and he wipes his eyes with the back of his palm. “Honestly i’ve gotten plenty of complaints about that by now, but none sound as forward as yours.” 

“Your laugh is _absolutely_ golden, Ben.” Rey herself is still laughing as she says this, and it makes Ben smile the way he did when they called the other day. “And you’re adorable, Rey.” Truthfully, he doesn’t know why he says what he just does. He’s not required to, even if he is a dating coach, but it just slips out. 

She knows she responds a little too quietly than she usually talks, but the way Ben so forwardly compliments her is something she still needs to get used to. “Oh, um- thank you.” She hopes he doesn’t see that she’s almost blushing. 

_ He does.  _

“Listen Rey, I-” Rey’s phone begins to ring rapidly as he’s talking, causing her to shuffle through her bag to find it. “Sorry, I have to take this.” She stands up from her seat and partly covers her phone with her hand, before answering the call. “Who’s this?” 

_“Rey, you better get your sexy ass over here right now and help me feed the kids, or I swear I will come all the way down to Manhattan to drag you here myself.”_

Rey smiles upon hearing the all too familiar voice of her best friend, Rose. 

“ _Okay, okay,_ i’m coming over.” 

“You fucking better.” Rose mockingly threatens her, and Rey hangs up as she playfully rolls her eyes. 

While putting her phone back in her bag and shuffling through her items again, she can’t help but notice the way Ben continues to look at her. She thinks she might’ve set him off a little. “I’m sorry Ben, I have to go now. Important... _business_ stuff I need to attend to.” 

“Oh, I understand.” Ben says with a smile, yet he still doesn’t stop looking at her. “Just text me and let me know when you want our next session to be.” 

“I will, don’t worry.” She says as she quickly grabs her bag and smiles back at him, before making a run for his door. Right before she can leave though, he calls out to her. “Rey, wait.” 

She looks back at him for a brief moment. ” _Yeah?”_

“You had your speaker on.” 

“Oh.” 

“Good luck with the “important business stuff” you need to deal with.” Ben smirks, and she swears this man is purposely trying to end her. 

“You know what? _I will_ deal with it.” Rey says with mock sassiness, swaying her hips a bit as she leaves his office. “See you soon, Ben.” She waves him goodbye, and he waves right after her. 

When Rey leaves, it’s like Ben can still feel her bubbly presence in the seat in front of him. He decides he wants to try and ignore it, but he knows she’s been there, and that’s what makes it a challenge for him to. 

He stands up from his chair, then walks up to the doorframe of his office and spots the coffee spills she’d accidentally left behind. But instead of being mad, _to his own surprise_ , he simply chuckles.

Oh god, he already knows too well. _Far_ _too well_. This girl will be the death of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you all like the taste of ben in complete denial 🤭 and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this chapter! I continue to look forward to writing more.


	3. Breadsticks And Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day starts off how it regularly does for Rey - with her tired, bored, and unmotivated.  
> Apparently all it takes is one text from a certain dating coach to change that.

On a breezy August morning — wrapped within a large, cozy blanket is a girl with a timeless ambition to find everlasting love. An increasing need that is yet to be met, yet to be sated,  just like the waves of the sea craving for its shore - _achingly_ despondent and desiderated for contact. 

With one of her hands, Rey sleepily splashes water from her sink onto her face, using the other to hold her phone up to her ear. “I keep telling you, Rose, I am not searching for men on Snapchat again, especially not after my ex.” 

“Hmm, fine, i’ll give you that. But you haven’t jumped back into the dating scene in ages, it’s about time you resurrected that dead part of your soul.” Replies Rose, who casually pulls out a toy brick from her son’s mouth that somehow made its way there. 

“It’s been _literally_ two months.” Rey raises a brow whilst pouring a gallon of coffee into her cup, fully prepared to chug it all down in one swing. 

“I thought you weren’t counting.” 

“You know what you are? You’re difficult.” 

“And you love me for it.” 

Pursing her lips together, a nonchalant smirk emerges on Rey’s face. “I sure do.” 

“When you’re free from work again we’re getting take out. _Also_ , you still need to tell me more about this dating coach you’re seeing. I bet he’s a heap of handsome.” 

“Ew, don’t say it like that, you make it sound as if i’m shagging my dating coach.” Rey responds abruptly, nearly biting her tongue while mixing her coffee. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” 

“ _Rose!_ ” 

“Whatt? You’re telling me that’s something you wouldn’t do?” 

“I’m hanging up now.” Rey pinches the bridge of her nose, taking in her coffee with large gulps. 

“Fine, fine.” Rose laughs at her misery, the knowledge branded into Rey’s mind that if Rose were anyone else, they’d most likely both be in court right now. “Don’t drink too much coffee, dumbass.” 

“Okay mom, thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”  Mocks Rey playfully back at her, before hanging up. Her pride is usually too at stake to admit it, but she appreciates the fact that Rose cares beneath her playfully pompous demeanour. She trusts Rose endlessly, which is exactly why she doesn’t understand the reason she doesn’t feel up to bragging about Ben to her. 

There’s already the known information about him - his occupation as a dating coach, his age, the way he looks. Everyone has the capability of finding out these basic aspects about him, never having met him or talked to him themselves. But the issue is that she has talked to him, has spoken to him about quite a lot by now. To her, it’s just a bit odd to mindlessly rave about someone once they’ve bothered taking the time to actually get to know you. 

Nearly dropping her cup to the ground, her phone vibrantly beeps with a text from an unknown number. _Odd_ , she hasn’t gotten ominous threats from strangers or shitty chain mail in a while. Mindbogglingly enough, she doesn’t receive either of those things. 

Instead, she receives a rather pleasant,  _**“Hey, this is Ben. Sorry this is a bit out of nowhere, I just wanted to check up on how you’re doing, since our last session was quite a while ago.”** _

She smiles, it’s rare nowadays to find someone who genuinely wonders how you’re doing. 

**_Aw thanks for checking up on me, i’m doing alright I think. Hru_**

She texts back, awaiting a response as she starts getting ready for work. 

She hears her phone beep again, most likely a reply from Ben, but she figures she doesn’t have to rush responding. Her fingersmake their way to her hair, and she ties it up in a high ponytail. Normally, she would have her hair in a bun or two, sometimes even three, but ever since she’s had her hair trimmed to her shoulders, she hasn’t exactly been capable of doing more than one bun. 

With a touch of lip gloss, her stressed out business woman look is complete. _Hooray._

She picks up her phone to check Ben’s text, grateful to herself that she didn’t forget to leave Peppermint with Rose the day before, or else she would most likely be pouncing on her right this second. In her mind, she reads out Ben’s text. 

**_ Just alright?  _ **

She’s unable to prevent the smile that makes its way to her face despite how tired and distressed she is from work.

**_ Hm, i’d like to think so  _ **

**_How about we change that? Alright is good and all, but it’s not very good competition against glad._ **

**_ Oh? And how do u propose we turn that alright into a “glad”  _ **

**_ If you’re free by then, meet me at Olive Garden by 5. There’s something important we need to do.  _ **

She knows for a fact that she’s never told Ben she enjoys eating at Olive Garden a lot, so she’s instantly amused at his restaurant of choice. She’s recommended it to most people she’s dated, but they never really wanted to go with her. 

**_Sounds important, but ur paying for the breadsticks_ **

She jokes at him, not expecting him to actually take her seriously.

**_ You know what? Deal.  _ **

Immediately about to inform him she’s just messing around with him, he cuts her off with another text. 

**_ I know you were probably joking, but I swear, it’s all on me.  _ **

She’s touched by the fact that he’s offering to pay for her meal, but she frowns because she won’t accept him treating them both. She isn’t the type of person to just stand around and watch as someone else does all the work for her, and it isn’t any different in this instance. 

**_ U can’t just pay for everything :( I’ll split the bill with u _ **

**_Rey, I promise it’s alright. I don’t mind at all._ **

Ben attempts to reassure her, despite knowing she’s quite the stubborn type - he finds it rather amusing. 

**_ I don’t mind either so we’re even  _ **

**_ Alright, alright - we’ll split the bill. _ **

**_ Good :) I have to go to work now but i’ll let u know when i’ve arrived later  _ **

Rey glances at herself in her mirror for a final time, giving herself a small wink of reassurance that today will maybe turn out alright, especially since she’s getting breadsticks later. On the way out of her house, her phone emits yet another buzzing noise. 

**_ Be safe at work, Rey.  _ **

Her eyes soften at Ben’s message, and she stares at it for a moment before shaking her head and closing her phone. She can’t be distracted while driving, she might get her licence revoked, though his care and consideration for her makes her involuntarily smile with regard. The moment she arrives at the entrance of her workplace, she makes sure to respond to Ben one last time before entering. 

**_ U better be safe too, Ben _ **

<>

Being a call center agent certainly isn’t a piece of cake duty, especially not for someone as easily irked as Rey is. She could have landed any other job in the world, but apparently, her resume isn’t _impressive_ enough to other hiring companies. At the moment arguing over the line with someone who’s speaking French, she partially wishes she hadn’t arisen from bed today. Even breadsticks aren’t worth this torment. 

“ _Je vous l'ai déjà dit, madame,_ nous n'offrons pas de biens immobiliers gratuits dans cette entreprise.” She raises her voice at the caller, earning herself judgemental glances from her coworkers, but it’s not something she isn’t already used to. 

Back in college, Rey took the time to study multiple languages in hopes of perhaps becoming a flight attendant or a language teacher, _yet here she is now_. She supposes she can’t complain much though, at least she does have a job to begin with, even if it usually involves her tangled up within a battle on who can be more profoundly irritating between her and the callers. 

After what feels like hours upon hours of debate, Rey at last decides to put her foot down on the caller and says, “Passez une bonne journée, madame.” Which means: “Have a good day, ma’am.” Then finally hangs up, followed by her whispering, “Espèce de piquant...” Which roughly translates to: “You self-righteous prick...”

She checks her phone briefly for the time, craving to bang her head against her desk when she sees that she has another five hours to go. She supposes she’ll save the headbanging as a shocker to her coworkers for another day, though. 

<>

Seated at one of the tables in Olive Garden is none other than exceptional dating coach, Ben Solo, who is currently waiting for Rey to arrive from work. He’s already managed to order breadsticks for both of them. He picks one up, staring at it, almost pondering on it. For a second, he contemplates sending Rey a text to ask if she’s alright, until he hears a familiar, exuberant voice asking one of the waitresses, _“Puoi dirmi a che tavolo è Ben Solo?”_

The waitress grins cheerfully at Rey’s fluent use of Italian. “Sì, proprio così.” 

“Grazie mille.” Rey shoots her a small nod of acknowledgement, then runs towards Ben when she eventually spots him. “I’m sorry i’m this late.” She apologises nervously. 

Ben smiles at her, clearly amused at her ability to speak multiple languages, his chin resting idly onto his palm. “Oh, it’s no problem at all.” She sits in front of him, her hair an entire mess, but he chooses not to comment on it. Out of concern however, he asks, “Are you alright?” 

Looking up from the remaining breadsticks, Rey’s eyes become a bit expansive, not expecting Ben to ask her how she is. She’s currently stuffing her mouth with breadsticks, feeling at absolute bliss for the first time today, so that’s most likely why. With crumbs still stuck to her chin, she replies with, “ _Yeah, yeah,_ i’m totally cool. You didn’t answer my question about how you are, though.” 

Ben laughs, finding it incredibly endearing how she doesn’t bother trying to look all prim and proper while eating. He personally doesn’t see why so many people find messy eating such a big deal dating wise, but unfortunately, there are men out there who would eat her up like sharks for it, and Ben’s job is to help her, _isn’t it?_

“I’m doing quite alright, as well. Didn’t know you could speak Italian.” 

Taking a large bite out of one of the breadsticks,  Rey flashes him a cheeky smile. “Yeah, I learnt how to speak multiple languages while in college. I always thought i’d be-” She pauses momentarily to chew on the breadstick before swallowing. “ _Sorry_ , I always thought I could be like a flight attendant or something, a language teacher, just anything that’d make me feel fulfilled in life. But no, I got a job as a call center agent instead.” She lets out a small chuckle, trying to make herself sound less gloomy, but she can see with the way Ben’s eyes soften that it’s to no avail.

“Hey, I enjoy what I do in a way, don’t get me wrong. I know what I do has an impact in some way. And plus, I should be grateful I have a job.”

“ _Non dovresti accontentarti di qualcosa al di sotto di ciò che meriti._ ”

Rey blinks at him, not expecting that he knows how to speak Italian. 

“I actually don’t know how to speak fluent Italian, but one of my clients who is Italian told me this really nice phrase.” Ben grins warmly, and for just a brief moment, just a slender flash of vulnerability, his smile makes her heart skip a beat — she doesn’t think she’s _ever_ seen anyone smile so beautifully in her whole life.

After a long pause, Rey involuntarily inches her hand closer to Ben’s on the table. “You shouldn’t settle for anything below what you deserve _._ ” She repeats what he says in English. “ _Thank you_ , Ben.”

About to retract her hand from the table, she’s surprised when she feels Ben resting his hand right next to hers. “I was only being truthful.” She grins at his gentle tone of voice, able to feel his sincerity. 

They’re all too soon interrupted by one of the waiters asking them if they’re ready to order again, and they look at each other nervously for a moment, almost as if they’ve been walked in or something spontaneous like that. They end up shaking it off and ordering anyway. 

The rest of their time in the restaurant is spent eating a lot, laughing as others throw glances at them with profound concern, and when dessert arrives - the most important part of why Ben invited Rey to have dinner with him commences. 

“ _So Rey_ , a big reason of why I asked you to eat here with me is because I want to help you find a date.” 

“Hm... is that so?” She sounds a tad uninterested once she responds, but Ben knows it’s most likely because she’s so invested in the strawberry cake she’s currently consuming. 

“Indeed it is, in case you couldn’t already tell, i’m quite good with setting people up.”

“Alright, but just not on Snapchat.” She continues chewing, only bothering to wipe her mouth from time to time. “I met my ex through it.” 

“I wasn’t planning on using Snapchat anyway, it’s quite crappy for setting people up, honestly.”

Rey raises her brow at him in agreement, recalling the unfaithful day Rose decided to set her up with her dreaded ex. She’s never enjoyed the formatting of the app anyway, she’s always found it too flashy. “What are we going to use?” 

“Have you ever tried Tinder before?” 

_Huh_ , surprisingly enough, she doesn’t think she ever has. 

“No, shockingly. I never really paid any attention to it when plenty of others would.” 

“It’s really helpful, see.” Ben tilts his phone screen towards her, showing her the many varieties of people you can go on dates with, as well as showing her the mechanics of the app. “If you see someone you’re uninterested with, you swipe left. If it happens that anyone does catch your eye, you swipe right.” 

“Hmm, interesting.” Rey is on the verge of asking about the possibility of getting catfished, though almost as if being able to read her mind, Ben reassures her. “Don’t worry, I _won’t_ let you get catfished. I’ve set up my clients with people on Tinder multiple times, and they’re all safe.” She sighs in pure relief, she’s not sure a date is worth being found in an abandoned alleyway for. 

Ben quickly helps her make a profile on her phone, adding all of the necessary information there is to know about her, as well as discovering more about her while she shares knowledge about herself to him. _She truly is an interesting person_ , he thinks. 

“Alright, all done.” 

Rey perks up from her seat excitedly, having long awaited the moment she finally gets back into the dating scene again. “So, how are we gonna do this?” Ben gets up from his seat and sits next to her, then hands her phone back to her. She ends up swiping left more times than he expects, even swiping left on a seemingly decent ginger-haired fellow. 

“Gingers just aren’t my type, honestly.” 

“I have to agree with you there, apparently he’s interested in mini-golf _exclusively_.” Ben reads out the man’s profile, causing Rey to giggle. 

“How about this one?” She tilts her head at Ben, waiting for his opinion on the person who’s currently on her screen. 

“If your type is sweaty football player, then I won’t hold it against you.”

“Fair enough. Never been into the super sporty types anyway. Reminds me of the frat boys back in high school.” Her intense motion of swiping left continues, until she finally stops at a man who’s seemingly more attractive than the rest she’s seen so far. 

“How about... _him_?” 

Ben looks at the photo of the man on her screen for a moment, analysing his profile. “If you’re interested in somewhat broody looking, wavy haired, and fairly tall, then i’d say you’re all set.” Rey snorts at his sarcastic comment. “But for real, he seems like a decent guy. He’s into more of homey dates than going to parties, and I know you’re not interested in overly grand dates as well.” 

Ben is completely right, she thinks. This guy on her screen right now _might_ just be a keeper. 

“You know what? _I’ll give it a shot._ ” He smiles at her as if he’s cheering her on when she decides to at last swipe right, and they both silently pray that the man will accept her as a match. They wait a few minutes, but eventually, the man accepts her request and sends her a message. Rey immediately raises her hand up to Ben for a high-five, which he gladly gives her. 

“Do you maybe wanna get out of here to celebrate this victory?” Ben asks her, sheer hopefulness in his eyes that she cannot bare to turn down. 

Thereupon cherishing the fact that she wasn’t completely turned down, she soon glances at Ben and simply responds with, 

“ _I would like that a lot_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally had the motivation to write a new chapter! it’s quite a long one, but I hope anyone who’s able to read it enjoys anyway <3 I myself can’t wait to see what shenanigans rey and her ever-so-charming dating coach will be up to next (I also purely based the tinder part on research since i’ve never used it myself but we don’t talk about that-)


End file.
